Friday, January 02, 2015

20 Games I really dug in 2014

OK - so here's the real deal. As usual, I tossed all preconceived notions to the wind, didn't rank according to score or preference, just slapped together this list of 20 games I had a great time with in 2014...

20 Games I Played and
Loved in 2014

(... in no particular
order)

Dark Souls II –
Dense, diverse, and relentless. Even with the razor sharp teeth of
Demon's and Dark filed down to be merely “very very pointy”,
Dark Souls II remains a beautifully executed game that focuses on
slow and steady exploration, character building, and learning
through experience. No other series is really quite like it, and
while it's not for everyone, Dark Souls II's subtle changes under
the hood make it just that little bit more accessible. Whether it
stands up artistically to its prequels will likely be debated for
years, but it's an amazing piece of work irregardless, and one of
the best games of the 7th generation. If you've held off
until now – there's a version hitting PS4 and XboxOne in the very
near future...

Destiny – Bungie's
“shared world” shooter may have divided many critics, but I for
one found it to be a wholly original, beautifully executed
experiment that combines stunning technical feats woth Bungie's
awesome penchant for world building and gob-smacking design. It's
not an MMO, nor strictly a shooter, but a unique hybrid of both
genres that manages to stand on its own. Above all else, it feels
empowering, and allows you the player to take the role of an
interstellar bad ass with friends or without. I don't say it often,
but this is very nearly the perfect game, and undoubtedly would be
the Blast Processing collective's unanimous choice for game of the
year, 2014.

Watch_Dogs – Ubisoft
made waves a few years back when it demoed a very early version of
Watch_Dogs at E3 and stunned a totally unsuspecting crowd. It went
on to become a poster child for Next gen gaming, There's no way in
hell the game could withstand the level of hype that followed. What
Ubisoft delivered however was a refreshing spin on the GTA formula
that featured a hacker vigilante rather than a hardened thug. Sure
the gameplay was “open world 101”, but the city of Chicago was
beautifully realized, and the storyline really set the game apart
from its peers. I actually prefer it to GTA V's narrative-lite
sandbox, and I make no apologies for that.

Lords of the Fallen –
One of the teams at Polish Developer CI Games has clearly played the
'Souls' series, and with a talented bunch of veteran artists
(including guys who worked on the superlative “The Witcher”
series) they've not only managed to give us gaming's first
“Souls-like”, but they've made it one hell of a great game to
boot. Harkyn's quest to destroy the titular lords isn't one of the
most detailed or narratively brilliant romps, but the fantastic
combat mechanics, flexible customization, abundance of cool gear and
weapons, and truly stunning artwork make this one a must play for
fans of a good action adventure title. It's decidedly more
accessible, while still maintaining that unforgiving difficulty the
Souls games are known for. There's already a sequel in the works,
and I hope that in a decade's time, the “souls-like” genre is a
thing, especially if the games are all up to this quality.

Dragon Age: Inquisition
– Bioware's return to medieval fantasy can only be described as a
resounding triumph in pretty much every respect. Stunning visuals,
great characters, gob-smackingly expansive worlds to explore, and a
great plot that unfolds with a deliberate pace. Inquisition is
everything you remember from the golden age of Pc RPGs like Baldur's
Gate and Fallout, but presented with true next gen panache. Plan for
at least 75-100 hours to be devoured, and don't make your first
sitting any less than 3 hours. This one isn't a game for power
players who just want to tick off objectives on the way to the next
cutscene, this is a world that you need to get enveloped in. Hats
off to Bioware on this one, they've really outdone themselves in a
colossal way.

Shovel Knight – Yacht
Club's successful kickstarter rubbed me in pretty much every wrong
way initially. The idea of a knight with a shovel instead of a
sword, the retro throwback nature of the game, which is getting a
tad overdone, and the side-scrolling “Duck Tales” looking
gameplay. The end result however is anything but lackluster. The
gameplay is a hodgepodge of everything awesome in the 8-bit/16-bit
era, and in truth it feels like one of the first retro throwbacks to
embrace modern design ideas rather than go “slavish reproduction”
with warts and all. It's a big game that combines elements of
classic Capcom, Castlevania, and even Mario with precise controls
and off the wall humor. It's charming as hell, fun as hell, and
feels just right. All hail the Troupple king!

Alien: Isolation –
Pure abject terror. That's what the guys at The Creative Assembly
have managed here. Tension, fear, death. On top of that, they've
also created the most memorably terrifying setting this side of
Bioshock's Rapture, a beautifully atmospheric space station that
echoes the tone and tropes of Ridley Scott's 1979 sci-fi classic
that serves as its prequel. You play as Amanda Ripley, daughter of
Ellen, as she journeys to Sevastapol Station in search of the black
box from the mining ship Nostromo. Rather than gaining insight into
the whereabouts of her missing Mother, Amanda comes face to face
with the same terrifying force, and it is indeed terrifying.
Elements of the aforementioned Bioshock, and even Metroid work their
way into what is undoubtedly one of the most beautifully realized
game-from-movie titles ever conceived. Sure, as a group we might
have chosen Destiny, but Alien: Isolation is a very strong contender
for Game of the Year in my own book...

Assassin's Creed: Rogue
– The yearly battery of Assassin's Creed titles took a bizarre
turn in 2014 when Ubisoft decided to drop Rogue exclusively to
last-gen consoles (for now) while Unity carried the 'next gen' flag.
To those who loved last years 'Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag',
Rogue is just what you're looking for. Naval combat, ship building,
exploring the staggeringly gorgeous (especially for antique
hardware) North Atlantic, and an extremely cool protagonist in
Assassin – turned – Templar, Shay Cormac. You get some familiar
faces, and even a fair amount of backstory on characters from the
series' past in the “modern day” chunks of the story. Overall
it's a great and worthy entry in the series, and ties up the
“Americas” section of Assassin's Creed in fine fashion.

Wolfenstein: The New
Order – Newcomer, Machinegames, headed by several guys from
Starbreeze studios (they gave us The Chronicles of Riddick, The
Darkness, and Syndicate) have re-booted Wolfenstein as an alternate
history shooter wherein Nazi Germany has marched on North America. A
lengthy single player centric game with some great visuals, great
weapons, and above all, a thoughtful and very well told plot,
succeeds in such spectacular fashion as to make 'The New Order' one
of those games from 2014 that no one should really miss. This is the
third time Wolfenstein has been kicked off from scratch, and it's
probably the best the venerable series has ever been. Don't miss
out!

Call of Duty: Advanced
Warfare – What? A Call of Duty title Steve? Really? Yup. Based
solely on a single player campaign that is one part techno thriller,
one part James Cameron action spectacle, and with a diversity in the
campaign that hasn't been seen in Call of Duty... well... ever, I
have to applaud this one. Sledgehammer wisely ignores the woeful
sci-fi steps taken in Black Ops II and reboots “Future-COD” with
their own vision of PMCs, powered exosuits, and high tech weaponry
that more closely resembles the phenomenal Killzone series than
anything that's come from Call of Duty in the past. There's also a
fantastic villain played by Kevin Spacey, and enough diversity in
the bad guys to keep things interesting throughout (except maybe for
the final mission). It's the best game in the series since the
original Modern Warfare in 2007.

Driveclub –
Evolution studios took a lot of fire over Driveclub when it launched
(in what I'd consider to be unfinished form), but once the bugs were
ironed out and the first big content patch hit, Driveclub, in its
finished form, is really quite a thing. For car fans, it's about the
purest “driving” experience you can get on a next gen console,
there's no open world shenanigans here, just hardcore racing that
straddles the line between sim and arcade rather well. It is also
one of the most beautiful looking games ever, and undoubtedly the
most staggering driving game ever conceived from a visual
standpoint. The 'tour mode' is also addictive as hell as you
struggle to earn just one more star, and shave seconds off of lap
times. Top that off with a robust online suite based around social
interaction between driving clubs and challenges, and you've got a
fantastic straight up racer.

Mercenary Kings –
Tribute games was yet another face in the Kickstarter crowd this
year, and much like Yacht Club Games and their awesome 'Shovel
Knight', Tribute has managed to pull off 'retro ready' in style with
Mercenary Kings. It's Contra or Metal Slug in all the arcadey glory
crossed with an insanely deep crafting system and hints of
Borderlands. Retro style mixed with modern design. There's also a
fantastic approach to tone that echoes '80s action films and G.I.
Joe. I had a TON of fun with Mercenary Kings, and it's well worth
checking out.

Middle Earth: Shadow of
Mordor – There are certain narrative elements one might expect to
see when you encounter something with Middle Earth emblazened upon
the cover, and while Shadow of Mordor does initially set things up
very well, there was a distinct lack of narrative pull for me as I
played through. That said, the combat feels phenomenal, the concept
of a Ranger of Gondor possessed by a powerful elven wraith from
Middle Earth's distant age is a very cool one, and the technical
merits are nothing shy of astounding. Chief amongst the boons is the
games 'Nemesis' system, which sees grunts become more powerful
chiefs and even boss-like figures as they survive encounters with
your Ranger. It's a brilliantly executed bit of programming, and
what works well for the game easily overpowers what nitpicks I have
with the narrative (being a huge Tolkien nerd). As far as
Orc-slaying sandboxes go, this is the one to have.

Bound By Flame – I'm
going to say this outright – Bound By Flame is NOT a great game.
It's a good, solidly executed fantasy RPG that faintly echoes both
Mass Effect and Dragon Age in its design, and it pleasantly
surprised me with a stable of interesting characters and solid
gameplay. It's also a decidedly ambitious title from a small studio on a minuscule budget, and the fact that it turned out so well in that regard deserves some praise in my mind. If you're desperate for an action RPG fix, you could do
much worse. The big let down is that the whole affair feels so
brief, and the narrative hits a brick wall two thirds of the way
through, with an abrupt final act that feels more like a prologue to
the real tale than a full game. It;s here because, yeah, I really
enjoyed it. And If you dig vaguely narrative action RPGs with a Euro
flair and some heavily customizable gear, you might as well.

The Elder Scrolls
Online – Another big title that came and went without much
fanfare, The Elder Scrolls Online does more right than it does
wrong. Great character customization that echoes the Elder Scrolls
“proper”, combined with emphasis on exploring a VAST world. On
the upside, it feels just different enough from your average MMO,
with plenty of solo content for those of us who prefer a single
player game, the downside, it really lacks that “lived in sandbox”
feel of past Elder Scrolls games, and instead borrows a little too
much of its structure from games like World of Warcraft and Guild
Wars 2 to really feel truely unique. That doesn't stop it from being
a polished, well presented, and ultimately worthwhile game though.

Assassin's Creed: Unity
– What? I know what you're saying? Isn't this a mess? Well...
No... not really. Overshadowed by the technical hiccups and the
resolution issues, What the general public, and indeed Games
journalists failed to discover, was that Assassin's Creed: Unity is
actually one heck of a solid game. The plot, set during the French
Revolution, unfolds in deliberate fashion, and sets up the
protagonist, Arno Dorian, as one of the more memorable characters in
the series. From the amazing prologue, to Arno's time in the
Bastille, and onward to his induction into the order of Assassins,
Unity feels at once fresh and familiar, and in spite of the well
publicized issues, the game looks stunning, both standing still and
in motion, and the whole game really does a phenomenal job of adding
just the right level of “flair” to Assassin's Creed's mechanics.
There's more weight to the combat, more precision to the
free-running, more life on the streets. In spite of its
shortcomings, all brought on by just not enough time in the oven,
Unity is a high watermark for the series, and a must play for fans.

Infamous: Second Son –
The worst thing about Infamous: Second Son is that it came so early
in 2014. It will undoubtedly be forgotten rather quickly. Sucker
Punch has once again shown their skill at weaving together open
world environments and some kick ass platforming, which in and of
itself is a great thing, but where Second Son really succeeds is in
the “good or evil” narrative choices, and in the weaving of the
overall tale. Delsin is a great protagonist, and the supporting cast
is equally memorable. Beyond that, the facial animations and
technical prowess made it the first game on PS4 to really sock me in
the jaw from a visual standpoint. I'll also say I dug the decision
to get away from the more “over the top” comic art style of the
first two games to settle into a more realistic style, it made it
that much more relatable for me. It does get a little too mired in
formula at times, a problem the first two games had as well, but
when it's firing on all cylinders, which is more often than not, man
is it ever awesome.

Wasteland 2 – I make
no secret of my love affair of all things Fallout, but I'd never
played the spiritual predecessor, Wasteland. When Inexile
entertainment announced that they'd regained the rights, and started
in on Wasteland 2, I expected something in much the same style. I
was mistaken. Sure, Wasteland 2's gameplay is post apocalyptic, and
the old school PC-RPG feel is completely intact, but underneath lies
the heart of a very different beast. The story is decidedly more
bleak, with a much darker, less satirical sense of humor, and the
world is a ripe, wide open apple waiting to be picked. Gone are the
'50s nuke-powerd tropes, replaced with a Mad Max meets Wild West
sensibility. It was a very pleasant surprise, and if you're a fan of
the sort of old school gameplay that hearkens back to the golden age
of the PC RPG (right around 1998), you owe it to yourself to play
this one.

Far Cry 4 – If you've
played Far Cry 3, you know what to expect here. No, Far Cry 4's
narrative isn't as thoughtful as 3's was, and our hero protagonist
isn't quite so memorable, but my god, that Tibet/Eastern influenced
setting is just a joy to traipse around. There's also Pagan Minh,
who is a fantastic antagonist (be sure to check out the secret
ending!), and that wonderful Far Cry feel to the action that is at
times both frantic run and gun and strategic cover shooter. Expect
to spend a lot of time exploring, and playing around with an
unparalleled level of toys. Every compound you attack, every
objective you meet, is a shining example of emergent gameplay at its
finest. No other series manages to cast of the shackles quite so
well, and while the narrative may not be up to past entries in the
series, the sandbox is more expansive than ever.

Valiant Hearts: The
Great War – Yet another Ubisoft entry on the list. There's not a
lot I can say about this one. It's hand drawn, side scrolling,
almost entirely based around simple puzzle solving, and yet manages
to be heartwarming, heartbreaking, and utterly captivating as it
weaves it's tale of several characters caught up in the events of
the First World War. It bears more resemblance to classic titles
like Another World (or Out of This World) or Flashback, but moves at
a much faster and more accessible pace, And while it never outright
stumps, there were occasions where I had to stop and really examine
my surroundings to deal with the clever puzzles. There's also just
the right mix of action stages and boss battles. Just a wonderfully
executed, and creative game.

There ya have it. Any thoughts? Anything I missed? Feel free to let me know!

4 comments:

Anonymous
said...

Great write up Steve...can't wait for the podcast. Good to hear about Assassin's Creed: Rogue. I was on the fence about that. Watched my friend play a small chunk on his 50" plasma and made me appreciate what develops can still get out of last gen hardware.

Thanks for the feedback! Rogue was really such an impressive thing; I kept thinking to myself (well outside of They totally got St. John's WRONG!) I can't believe this just might be the last "new" PS3 title I buy... and it's THIS good!

Not so much, no. I've really gotten tired of what gaming fandom has become with the last two generations, It's gotten so you can't be critical of anything without starting some unholy console jihad. So I tend to keep to myself outside of Facebook.